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Selected State Early Learning Guidelines on the Web

States are developing, revising, and/or implementing early learning guidelines (ELGs), which identify outcomes in language, literacy, mathematics, and other academic and developmental domains for young children.

  • Twenty-eight States have ELGs for children from 3 through 5 years (Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming)
  • Nine States and two Territories have ELGS for children from birth through 5 years (Alaska, California, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Washington) (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico)
  • Thirteen States and one Territory have ELGs for children from birth through 3 years and ELGs for children from 3 through 5 years (Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Pennyslvania) (Guam)
  • One State is in the process of developing ELGs (North Dakota)

The following table identifies Web site addresses for State early learning guidelines.

State Name/Web Site Address Age Range
Alaska

Early Learning Guidelines (2006)
www.eed.state.ak.us/news/elg_guidelines.pdf

Birth to 5 years
Arizona

Early Learning Standards (2005)
www.ade.az.gov/earlychildhood/downloads/EarlyLearningStandards.pdf 

3 to 5 years
Arkansas

Arkansas Framework for Infant and Toddler Care (2002)
www.arkansas.gov/childcare/bench.pdf 

Birth to 3 years

Arkansas Early Childhood Education Framework (2004)
www.arkansas.gov/childcare/Framework34.pdf

3 to 5 years

California

Desired Results Developmental Profiles
Introduction to the Desired Results is at www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/desiredresults.asp

Reference materials and forms (including the profiles) are available at www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/drdpforms.asp.1
Birth to 13 years
Colorado

Building Blocks to Colorado’s Content Standards (2003)
http://www.cde.state.co.us/resultsmatter/el_guidelines.htm 

3 to 5 years
Connecticut

Guidelines for the Development of Early Learning for Infants and Toddlers  Draft (2005)
www.wheelerclinic.org/children/EGdraft2forweb.pdf

Birth to 3 years

The Connecticut Framework: Preschool Curriculum Framework (2006)
www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Early/Preschool_framework.pdf

Connecticut Preschool Assessment Framework (2005)
www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Early/Preschool_Assessment_Framework.pdf

3 to 5 years

Delaware

Delaware Infant and Toddler Early Learning Foundations: A Curriculum Framework (2006)
www.doe.k12.de.us/files/pdf/earlychildhood_infant-toddler.pdf

Birth to 3 years

Early Learning Foundations for School Success (2003)
www.doe.k12.de.us/programs/earlychildhood/preschool.shtml

3 to 5 years

District of Columbia

Early Learning Standards for Children Entering Kindergarten in the District of Columbia (2005)
www.dhs.dc.gov/dhs/frames.asp?doc=/dhs/lib/dhs/pdfs/child/ dclearningstandards_numb2_05-2005_document.pdf

3 to 5 years
Florida

Florida Birth to Three Learning and Developmental Standards (2004)
www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/oel_performance.html

Birth to 3 years

Florida School Readiness Performance Standards (2003)
www.floridajobs.org/earlylearning/oel_performance.html

3 to 5 years

Georgia

Georgia Early Learning Standards (birth to age 3) (2006)
www.decal.state.ga.us/CCS/CCSServices.aspx?Header=67&
SubHeader=&Position=18&HeaderName=Georgia%20Early%20Learning%20Standards
 

Birth to 3 years

Georgia’s Pre-K Program Content Standards (Revised July 2005)
www.decal.state.ga.us/PreK/PrekServices.aspx?Header=2&
SubHeader=21&Position=11&HeaderName=Teachers
 

3 to 5 years

Hawaii

Hawai’i Preschool Content Standards for Center Based Programs (2004)
www.goodbeginnings.org/standards.htm

4 year olds
Idaho

Idaho Early Learning Standards (2004)
www.sde.state.id.us/SpecialEd/docs/content/IdahoEarlyLearningStandards.pdf  

3 to 5 years
Illinois

Illinois Early Learning Standards (2002)
www.illinoisearlylearning.org/standards/index.htm 

3 to 5 years
Indiana

Foundations to the Indiana Academic Standards for Young Children from Birth to Age 5 (2006)
www.doe.state.in.us/primetime/pdf/foundations/indiana_foundations.pdf

Birth to 5 years
Iowa

Iowa Early Learning Standards (2006)
www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=2468 

Birth to 5 years
Kansas

Kansas Early Learning Guidelines: A Developmental Sequence Building the Foundation for Successful Children DRAFT (2006)
www.srskansas.org/ISD/ees/CCstateplan/Attachment5.2.1A.pdf

Birth to 5 years
Kentucky

Early Childhood Standards (2006)
www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Early+Childhood+Development/default.htm

Birth to 5 years
Louisiana

Louisiana’s Early Learning Guidelines and Program Standards: Birth through Three (2005)
www.dss.state.la.us/Documents/OFS/LAEarlyLearningGuide.pdf 

Birth to 3 years

Louisiana Standards for Programs Serving Four-Year-Old Children (2002)
www.doe.state.la.us/DOE/assessment/standards/PDFs/PrekStandards6-02-02.pdf 

4 year olds

Maine

Supporting Maine’s Infants & Toddlers: Guidelines for Learning & Development (2006)
www.maine.gov/dhhs/occhs/infantstoddlers.pdf

Birth to 3 years

State of Maine Early Childhood Learning Guidelines (2005)
www.maine.gov/education/fouryearold/guidelines.html

3 to 5 years

Maryland

Guidelines for Healthy Child Development and Care For Young Children (Birth – Three Years of Age) (2003)
www.dhr.state.md.us/cca/pdfs/guidechild.pdf 

Birth to 3 years

Maryland Model for School Readiness  (2004)
www.mdk12.org/instruction/ensure/MMSR/index.html

3 to 5 years

Massachusetts

Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences (2003)
www.eec.state.ma.us/docs/TAGuidelinesForPreschoolLearningExperiences.pdf 

3 to 5 years
Michigan

Michigan Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Infant and Toddler Programs (2006)
www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/ECSQ-IT_Final_180649_7.pdf

Birth to 3 years

Early Childhood Standards of Quality for Prekindergarten (2005)
www.michigan.gov/documents/Early_Childhood_Standards_of_Quality_160470_7.PDF

3 to 5 years

Minnesota

Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: Minnesota’s Early Learning Guidelines for Birth to 3 (2007)
http://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Legacy/DHS-4438-ENG

Birth to 3 years

Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress: A Resource Guide (2000)
www.mlfcca.org/pdf files/Indicators.pdf

3 to 5 years

Mississippi

Mississippi Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum (2001)
www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/ID/curriculum/LAER/MsPreK.pdf

3 to 5 years
Missouri

Pre-K Standards (2003)
http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/fedprog/earlychild/PreK_Standards/Index.html

3 to 5 years
Montana

Early Learning Guidelines (2003)
www.montana.edu/wwwecp/pdfs/MTEarlyLearningGuidelines.pdf

3 to 5 years
Nebraska

Early Learning Guidelines for Ages Birth to 3 (2006)
www.nde.state.ne.us/ech/ELGuidelines/ELG_IT.pdf 

Birth to 3 years

Nebraska’s Early Learning Guidelines 3-5 Year Olds (2005)
www.nde.state.ne.us/ech/ELGuidelines/ELG_3to5.pdf

3 to 5 years

Nevada

Nevada Pre-Kindergarten Content Standards
www.nde.state.ne.us/ech/ELGuidelines/index.htm 

3 to 5 years
New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Early Learning Guidelines  (2005)
http://www.dhhs.state.nh.us/DHHS/CDB/LIBRARY/Policy-Guideline/learning-guidelines.htm

Birth to 5 years
New Jersey

Preschool Teaching & Learning Expectations: Standards of Quality (2004)
www.state.nj.us/njded/ece/code/expectations/

Abbott Preschool Program Implementation Guidelines(2005)
www.state.nj.us/njded/ece/nonabbott/guidelines/

3 to 5 years
New Mexico

Performance Standards and Benchmarks for Three and Four Year Olds
www.gisd.k12.nm.us/standards/preK/index.html 

3 to 4 years

New Mexico’s Pre-Kindergarten Learning Outcomes For 4 to 5 year olds (2005)
www.ped.state.nm.us/prek/downloads/ Pre-K%20Learning%20Outcomes%20%20Ob%20Tool%20Final.pdf

4 to 5 years

New York

Preschool Planning Guide: Building a Foundation for Development of Language and Literacy in the Early Years (1998)

www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/pub/presch1.pdf
3 to 5 years
North Carolina

Early Learning Standards for North Carolina Preschoolers and Strategies for Guiding Their Success (2005)
www.dpi.state.nc.us/success/downloads/foundations.pdf 

3 to 5 years
Ohio

Ohio’s Infant and Toddler Guidelines: Early Experiences Last a Lifetime (2006)
www.occrra.org/inf-todd/InfantToddlerGuides.pdf

Birth to 3 years

Early Learning Content Standards (2003)
www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&Topic
RelationID=1391&ContentID=1629&Content=24195

3 to 5 years

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines (2003)
http://title3.sde.state.ok.us/early/Pre-Kcurriculumguidelines.pdf

3 to 5 years
Pennsylvania

Infants and Toddlers: Pennsylvania Learning Standards for Early Childhood (2007)
www.pde.state.pa.us/early_childhood/lib/early_childhood/Infant_Toddler_Standards_4_07.pdf

Birth to 3 years

Early Childhood Learning Continuum Indicators for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening and Mathematics
www.pde.state.pa.us/nclb/lib/nclb/earlychildhoodcontinuum.pdf

3 to 5 years

Rhode Island

Rhode Island Early Learning Standards
www.ride.ri.gov/els/doc.asp

3 to 5 years
South Carolina

Good Start, Grow Smart Early Learning Standards (2005)
http://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/ece/goodstartgrowsmart.html

3 to 5 years
South Dakota

South Dakota Early Learning Guidelines
http://doe.sd.gov/contentstandards/docs/EarlyLearningGuidelinesBook.pdf   

3 to 5 years
Tennessee

Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards
www.state.tn.us/education/ci/standards/earlychildhood/

Birth to 5 years
Texas

Prekindergarten Curriculum Guidelines (2002)
www.tea.state.tx.us/curriculum/early/prekguide.html

3 to 5 years
Vermont

Vermont Early Learning Standards Guiding the Development and Learning of Children Entering Kindergarten (2003)
http://education.vermont.gov/new/pdfdoc/pgm_earlyed/pubs/vels_03.pdf   

Vermont’s Framework of Standards and Learning Opportunities (2000)
www.state.vt.us/educ/new/pdfdoc/pubs/framework.pdf
3 to 5 years
Virginia

Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning (2005)
www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instruction/Elem_M/FoundationBlocks.pdf

3 to 5 years
Washington

Washington State Early Learning and Development Benchmarks: A Guide to Young Children’s Learning and Development: From Birth to Kindergarten Entry (2005)
www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/pubdocs/EarlyLearningBenchmarks.pdf

Birth to 5 years
West Virginia

Early Learning Standards Framework: Content Standards and Learning Criteria for West Virginia Pre-Kindergarten (2003)
http://wvde.state.wv.us/policies/p2520.15_ne.doc

3 to 5 years
Wisconsin

Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (2003)
http://dpi.wi.gov/fscp/pdf/ecelstan.pdf

3 to 5 years
Wyoming

Wyoming Early Childhood Readiness Standards (2002)
www.k12.wy.us/SAA/standards/earlychild.pdf

3 to 5 years

1 Desired Results Developmental Profiles (September 2003) are not early learning guidelines in that they were developed as a naturalistic, observational assessment tool to track children’s development and learning in multiple domains. However, the profiles can be a useful resource in the development of early learning guidelines and associated components of the system, such as parent survey, assessment measures, and methods of data analysis for program accountability. The Desired Results Developmental Profile is part of California’s accountability system for all publicly funded early care and education programs for children ages birth through 13. Back

Updated June 2007